Coco Gauff Survives Victoria Mboko in Thrilling Comeback at Italian Open

Rome, Italy – Coco Gauff battled through a challenging match against Victoria Mboko to claim victory at the 2025 Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Friday night. The No. 4 seed Gauff, after losing the first set, rallied to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second-round matchup.

Gauff’s path to victory was not easy, as the 18-year-old Canadian qualifier Mboko showcased her skills, taking an early lead. Gauff, 19, initially struggled with unforced errors but refocused to turn the match around, breaking Mboko’s serve multiple times down the stretch.

“Victoria played great tennis,” Gauff said following her win. “She forced me to play like that. So full credit to her. I was pretty composed because I felt like I was playing the right way in the first, just not necessarily connecting on some shots.”

In her comeback, Gauff dropped her unforced errors significantly, reducing them from 18 in the first set to just seven in the second set. By the decisive third set, she played with sharp focus, not conceding any double faults and winning the final six games of the match.

Gauff finished the match with 25 winners compared to Mboko’s 13, converting nine of her 13 break points. This match marked Gauff’s first encounter with a Top 10 player as she looks to build on her strong clay court performance. Gauff hopes to continue her momentum in the next round against No. 32 seed Magda Linette, who recently defeated former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari.

With this victory, Gauff improved to 6-0 in her opening matches at the Foro Italico, continuing her impressive run in Rome.